BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia's government said nationwide deforestation increased slightly in 2025 but that it had still surpassed its four-year target to reduce forest loss under President Gustavo Petro, with pressure on the Amazon remaining largely unchanged in the administration's final year. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.

The Environment Ministry and IDEAM, the country's meteorological agency, said late Friday that Colombia lost 119,483 hectares (295,000 acres) of forest in 2025 — about the size of Los Angeles. That was a 5% increase from the previous year.

Officials emphasized that despite the increase, forest loss remained 31% below 2021 levels, surpassing the government's goal of reducing annual deforestation by at least 20% from that baseline.

While Colombia has kept deforestation well below 2021 levels, the latest figures underscore how difficult it has been to sustain the dramatic reductions achieved in 2023. Illegal land grabbing, cattle ranching and expanding infrastructure continue to put heavy pressure on the Amazon, even as authorities say they are increasingly targeting the criminal networks that profit from clearing the rainforest.

Petro, who leaves office next week, made protecting the Amazon a cornerstone of his environmental agenda. His administration also passed a landmark cattle traceability law aimed at preventing beef linked to illegal deforestation from entering supply chains.

The figures provide a benchmark for the incoming government of President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella, who has pledged to expand oil and mining development while reviewing several of Petro's environmental policies.

The 2025 statistics were released after weeks of criticism from incoming Environment Minister Fabio Arjona, who accused the outgoing government in a post on X of delaying publication, saying it had withheld the figures because it knew "the scenario is tragic."

The figures paint a more nuanced picture than the government's announcement suggests. After Colombia reached a record low in deforestation in 2023, forest loss rose 43% in 2024, reversing much of those gains. While the increase slowed, the situation remains complex.